


Tell Me Why?

by CastielFollowMe



Series: Single Dad Shiro Verse [73]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Illnesses, Mentions of Cancer, Panic Attacks, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 15:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12257484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielFollowMe/pseuds/CastielFollowMe
Summary: Keith's been sick for too long now and Shiro never once entertained the thought that this could be anything other than the flu.





	Tell Me Why?

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "I understand that you are very busy but I enjoy your series so very much and I was wondering if you would consider a cancer scare in which an abnormality is detected in 13 y/o Keith's pancreas and he needs to go in for scans. Shiro, knowing pancreatic cancer to be extremely deadly, would be absolutely devasted, and we live for the angst, don't we? :)"

It wasn’t often that Keith got sick. Every now and again he caught a cold or sometimes a bad stomach ache. Usually, after only a day of rest, he was good to go and back to full health. It always amazed Shiro at how quickly, Keith was able to bounce back after getting sick. Even Shiro took about two to three days before he was back to normal when he got sick.

              Still, it was nice that Keith’s illnesses never really lingered. That gave Shiro less to worry about.

              Though, what was worrying, was whenever Keith’s illnesses lingered past two days. Especially when his symptoms weren’t getting  _any_  better. When that happened, it was cause for alarm for Keith.

              For the past  _four_ days, Keith was bedridden by a nasty stomach ache. It had gotten to the point where Keith had stopped arguing with his dad about lying in bed and instead slept for most of the days. Even with all the rest and little movement, Keith wasn’t doing any better. By the fourth day, Shiro was at wit’s end and ready to take Keith to the emergency room.

              He knew that would probably embarrass the thirteen-year-old, but Keith had looked so miserable for the past few days that Shiro couldn’t care in that moment. However, he did refrain from calling an ambulance to take Keith to an emergency room. After all, Keith hadn’t been displaying any life-threatening conditions other than slight dehydration from being unable to keep anything down.

              Eventually, Shiro came to a logical conclusion and had called the Pediatrician that Keith always went too. He was fortunate that there was  _one last_ appointment available that afternoon, and he had thanked the receptionist a hundred times. He gave Keith a few more hours to rest on his own, before deciding that he needed to wake his son up for the appointment.

              Shiro’s heart twisted painfully at Keith curled underneath his covers, nearly covering his face, in obvious pain and discomfort. After a few seconds, of watching Keith’s face scrunch up in pain, Shiro walked across the room and knelt beside Keith’s bed. He placed a gentle hand against Keith’s forehead, careful to keep his prosthetic away from Keith, to prevent scaring him.

              Keith blinked blearily at Shiro before leaning into the touch.

              “Hey kiddo,” Shiro said softly. “Are you feeling any better?”

              Glumly, Keith shook his head and curled into a ball even further, if that was possible. Shiro’s chest tightened and he continued to stroke Keith’s hair back.

              “I’m sorry,” Shiro said. He continued to rub Keith’s head for a few quiet minutes, before deciding that Keith truly needed to get to his appointment. “I know you probably don’t even want to get up right now, but I made an appointment with Dr. Bennett. It’s been much longer than usual and I think we need a second opinion.”

              Keith made a few grumbling noises under his covers but he didn’t argue with Shiro, much to Shiro’s surprise. It made the situation all the heavier, when Keith didn’t argue once about going to a doctor and showed how much discomfort Keith must have been in.

              Shiro just hoped that the doctors would be able to have whatever Keith needed in order to get better.

x.V.x

              “An…MRI?” Shiro asked slowly. He wanted to look over at Keith who was lying miserably on the exam table. He was bundled back up in one of his own sweatshirts, along with one of Shiro’s Army sweatshirts.

              The doctor nodded patiently. He was probably used to having patients and parents repeat his responses or act in the way that Shiro was acting. Though, to be fair, Shiro hadn’t exactly been expecting for Keith to have an MRI today. He figured the doctor would prescribe some anti-nausea and pain medicine and give Keith a doctor’s note.

              “Yes. Due to the location of Keith’s pain and the length of it, I want to just check to make sure everything is okay.” The doctor, a middle-aged woman named Bennett, said. Shiro blinked again and Keith grumbled. “We actually have a brand new imaging facility on sight, but of course we’ll have to contact your insurance company first to be sure that it gets the green light.”

              “But…why? Didn’t you take blood?” Shiro asked slowly. The doctor nodded with a small smile, eyes flickering to Keith for a moment. She looked hesitant to answer with Keith in the room and Shiro could feel his heart sink.

              “Yes, but with an MRI and bloodwork, it’ll narrow down a diagnosis and also eliminate any possibilities,” Bennett explained softly. Shiro felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach at the word, diagnosis, and suddenly he felt like they weren’t talking about the flu anymore. “We don’t have to do anything that either of you isn’t comfortable with, but I believe it best to work as quickly as possible in case there is a need for a diagnosis.”

              Shiro knew that he had talked with Dr. Bennett for a little while longer, asking her questions and getting answers from her. He knew that he had waited with Keith while he dozed on and off in the exam room until a new nurse had come with a bed and a smile for Keith. He knew that they had wheeled Keith off to another room with Shiro waiting numbly outside while the took the MRI. He knew that Keith had been extra grumpy afterward and Shiro almost carried him back to the car after Dr. Bennett said they were free to go. He knew that once they had gotten home that Keith had fallen asleep on the couch and Shiro had tucked him in.

              But he felt numb.

              His heart was racing but his mind was completely numb.  _This wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. Keith was going to be fine._  He didn’t know how long he had sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter, but eventually, he looked up to see that it was dark outside, and Keith was finally just starting to wake up. Snapping into action, Shiro went to make dinner and greet Keith as he pushed all the negative thoughts aside in order to focus on his son.

_Keith was going to be fine. There was nothing wrong._

x.V.x

              “Hello Shiro and…?” Dr. Bennett smiled as she sat down behind her desk. Shiro followed, taking a seat with Kuro right beside him. The two shook hands with the doctor once more and Shiro was embarrassed to know that his hands were sweating bullets. They were probably gross but Dr. Bennett didn’t even flinch.

              “Kuro Shirogane.” Kuro introduced with a smile. Shiro would have tried to smile too but his stomach was in knots and his heart was racing. He was suddenly extremely glad that Kuro was with him today and that their parents were watching Keith. “I’m this guy’s better-looking twin brother.”

              “My, I can see the resemblance.” Dr. Bennett laughed as she began to pull a file up on her computer. Shiro swallowed thickly, unable to laugh or smile with his brother and the doctor. _That was Keith’s file._  “Shiro. How are you?”

              Shiro’s mouth felt dry. _Me? Shouldn’t she be asking about Keith?_  He tried to get his voice to work but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make a single noise. It was as if a hard lump was stuck in his throat. Kuro laid a hand down on Shiro’s thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

              “He’s been better.” Kuro finally explained. “Keith has been feeling a bit worse since the last visit to you, so Shiro’s been stressed about that. I started to stay in the guest bedroom so I could watch over Keith while Shiro slept or worked. But we’ve all been a bit stressed these past few days.”

              Dr. Bennett sighed heavily but nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that Keith hadn’t been feeling better. I was hoping my initial theories were wrong.” Shiro could feel his heart plummet to the floor and he nearly stopped breathing, if it wasn’t for Kuro’s hand on his thigh. Dr. Bennett looked sympathetically to Shiro and Shiro nearly burst into tears.

              “Keith?” Shiro finally managed to squeak out.

              “Yes,” Dr. Bennett took a deep breath before clicking on her computer. “When you first brought Keith in, I thought it was just a bad case of stomach flu – it is the season after all.” At this Kuro and Shiro, both nodded. “But then after examining him and finding the source of the pain, I worried that it could be appendicitis. It’s common and happens to many of us. Which was why I requested the MRI. Unfortunately, the MRI  _and_  his bloodwork said something else.”

              Shiro could feel his heart sinking into the floor, going deeper and deeper. He could handle appendicitis. Appendicitis was still bad but it was treatable and most people recovered from it. Kuro was a perfect example of that, and he’d had his appendix removed when the two of them had been six. Saying that it  _wasn’t_  appendicitis, was like a death sentence for Shiro.

              “Shiro, I’m afraid the scans on the MRI picked up a small abnormality in Keith’s pancreas.” Dr. Bennett began to explain as she turned her computer so Kuro and Shiro could see what she was seeing. Shiro’s heart stopped as did his breathing, and this time not even Kuro could help. Shiro knew what the doctor was going to say before she said it.

              “Cancer. Y – You’re saying…Keith has cancer?” Shiro finally managed out before Dr. Bennett could speak. Kuro’s grip suddenly tightened on Shiro’s thigh, his nails digging into Shiro’s pants, but Shiro barely felt that. Dr. Bennett didn’t seem surprised at Shiro’s conclusion and she simply nodded. Shiro’s heart began to break.

_No. No. No. Nonononononononthiscan’tbehappening._

_No. Notmybabyotkeiththiscan’tbehappeningtokeithpleaseno._

“Shiro! Shiro!”

              “Mr. Shirogane.”

              Shiro blinked upon hearing Kuro and Dr. Bennett’s voices floating through his sudden panic. It was then that he realized that he was looking  _up_  at Kuro and the doctor and the ceiling. He found that strange considering he was looking at them both before. Kuro knelt  _down_  on the ground beside him to grab a hold of his back and arm, and Shiro realized that he was on the ground. Had he fainted?

              “Why are we on the ground?” Shiro finally mumbled out of exhaustion. He felt like he’d been run over by a train and Kuro winced.

              “Do you remember falling off your chair at all?” Kuro asked quietly Shiro frowned, biting his lip before shaking his head. Kuro exhaled sharply. “You nearly fainted Takashi. You were talking about…about Keith’s diagnosis and then suddenly you weren’t breathing and you had toppled over!”

              Shiro swallowed thickly, feeling his breathing pick up upon remembering their discussion of Keith.

               _Cancer._

_Cancer._

_Keith had cancer._

_Keithhadcancerandtherewasnothingshirocoulddo –_

              “Takashi! Stop it!” Shiro jerked when Kuro had suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him upright. Kuro’s scarred face was staring at Shiro with  _wide_ , terrified eyes and Shiro swallowed thickly.

              “Shiro,” Dr. Bennett said quietly. Shiro snapped his attention to her for a second, before an unfamiliar burst of anger filled his chest. He just felt so incredibly angry at her – she was the cause for this. She had found that Keith had cancer. Shiro jumped to his feet, towering over Kuro and Dr. Bennett, but the woman didn’t look away from Shiro. “Shiro, I need you to remain calm. We don’t want you fainting, nor do we want you to do anything that you regret.

              “It’s not fair!” Shiro suddenly growled and Kuro scrambled to his feet, surprised at Shiro’s change in demeanor. Normally it was Kuro who was the angry one and Shiro was constantly calming him down after being returned home. He hadn’t seen Shiro like this since they were  _kids._  Shiro had always had a temper as a kid but Kuro had seen Shiro grow out of that.

              “How is any of this fair?!” Shiro hissed again, hands clenched in fists. Kuro was quick to shove both of his hands on Shiro’s chest when Shiro tried to take a step forward. “Why the  _hell_  would you lie to me like that and tell me that my  _son_ has cancer!”

              “Shiro! Stop this! This is her job.” Kuro growled lowly but Shiro never once looked at him.

              “Shiro, I understand that this is a very difficult situation for you to hear.” Dr. Bennett started only to be cut off by Shiro’s.

              “How the  _hell_  can you understand?! You’re not the one whose son had cancer!” Shiro practically spat and Kuro recoiled in surprise. “How can you understand that Keith is just a  _kid!_  He’s thirteen! He should be worrying about his first date, rather than the fact that he has cancer. He should be out playing with his friends in the science and robotics club, but instead, he’s stuck in bed for weeks! He should be with Red outside on a walk but now he might not get to do that! He shouldn’t be worrying about cancer _ever! Why?_  Why him?! Why does he have this; how is it fair? It’s not fucking fair? How would you understand?” Shiro hadn’t even realized that he was crying until Kuro was crying too.

              He shoulders and his posture slowly lost their power until he was practically curled in on himself. His entire body lost its angry demeanor and was slowly replaced by the shell of a broken man. Kuro had to guide him back to the seat, where Shiro dropped himself into, shoulders shaking and tears streaming down his face.

              “I understand because my daughter had cancer.” Dr. Bennett said softly. Shiro felt his tears run faster as guilt clawed through his chest, ripping disgusting holes in his heart. “Granted she was in her thirties, but she had cancer. It took many months of chemotherapy and surgery but now she’s doing fine.” Dr. Bennett was quiet for a few minutes while Shiro cried, with Kuro’s arms wrapped around his shoulders.

              “Shiro,” Dr. Bennett said. Shiro hiccupped and looked at her through blurred tears. “I know this hurts and this is the worst part of my job. I  _hate_  telling patients – telling parents or family of a diagnosis. Especially when I  _can’t_ guarantee that Keith will be fine after this,” Shiro choked back another sob and Kuro sniffled. “However, we caught the tumor  _early_  Shiro. Very early. I know this is a lot to take in, but let me tell you that Keith had a  _great_  chance if we get started right now. The longer we wait, the longer cancer has time to spread. Keith has a better chance than he could have if you had ignored his symptoms and waited.”

              Shiro couldn’t even speak, but he was thankful when Dr. Bennett handed Kuro a tissue box.

              “W – What can you tell us?” Kuro’s voice cracked when he spoke and Shiro could  _feel_  the despair in his brother’s voice. He was realizing that this didn’t just affect him. Kuro  _loved_  Keith. Their parents  _loved_  Keith. Lance, Pidge and Hunk all  _loved_  Keith.

              Ulaz, Antok, Kolivan.

              Allura and Coran.

              They all loved Keith and this news would hurt every single one of them.

              Worst of all, Keith was the most affected. He was the one who would have to live with this diagnosis. He was suffering from the symptoms and would need the treatment. This was affecting  _his_  life more than Shiro’s and Shiro felt ashamed.

              He needed to be there for Keith, even more than ever before.

x.V.x

              Keith had been upset after Shiro and Kuro had explained his diagnostic. Admittedly, there was had been many, many, _many_  tears between Keith and Shiro. Kuro had cried again. So had their parents and Keith’s friends.

              It wasn’t an easy road afterward, even having caught the cancer in its earlier stages.

              Surgery had been rough on Keith, who had been terrified of the thought of surgery and going under the knife.

              Treatment after surgery had been even more difficult. Sometimes the symptoms of the treatment felt even worse than the symptoms of cancer.

              Keith wound up spending too many months in the hospital. He’d dropped school that year, to be homeschooled by Allura and Shiro, at the hospital. His hospital room had nearly become his home during this part of Keith’s life.

              There were many nights of tears and yelling. Many days where Keith didn’t have the energy to get out of bed. Days full of pain.

              Days where Shiro had to ask over and over,  _why? Why? Why?_

              Days where Shiro couldn’t look at anyone.

              However, despite the troubles, the pain and the difficulties, there were plenty of smiles. There were good days where Keith could walk around the gardens. There were days he was allowed to leave the hospital for the day. Days where he was smiling and laughing to Lance’s jokes or talking theories to Pidge and enjoying Hunk’s baking.

              Days where he was surrounded by family.

              Days where he cried out of happiness after Shiro had put glow in the dark star formations all over the ceiling of Keith’s hospital room and filled the room with photographs his Uncle Kuro had taken that were Keith’s favorite. Days where Kuro had snuck Red into Keith’s hospital room and Keith had practically lit up seeing his best friend.

              There were plenty of days full of hope and happiness.

              Then came the day where Dr. Bennett had come into Keith’s room with Keith’s  _entire_  family crowding around him. It was a bit comical to see the number of people squished into the hospital room, seeing large men like Antok nearly sitting on someone’s lap. That was the day where Dr. Bennett had smiled her biggest smile ever and announced that Keith was  _cancer free._

              Everyone cried that day.

              Then came Keith’s first days back  _home_ , away from the hospital. He’d slept in Shiro’s room for almost two weeks after coming home and Shiro was happy to have his son home and close.

              Slowly but surely, Keith got better and stronger and thirteen months after the day that Keith was diagnosed, Keith was back to his old life. With nothing but a small scar and memories as a reminder of his troubles.

              And Shiro and Keith had been blessed to have had the best support system in the world. Both of them realized all the more, how lucky they were to have the family that they had.


End file.
